TAMPA, Fla. — Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney ripped into the surging Newt Gingrich as an “influence peddler” and a disgraced Washington insider in Monday night’s debate as the former Massachusetts governor tried to revive his standing among Florida voters ahead of next week’s primary vote.

Gingrich, the former House speaker who has both defined and elevated his candidacy through strong debate performances, has taken the lead in the Sunshine State, new polls show, though he was much more subdued in the latest debate.

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